Senior Scam Prevention and Fraud Resources in Mississippi
Mississippi seniors reported $33 million in elder fraud losses to the FBI in 2025, with 959 victims aged 60 and older. This page provides Mississippi-specific scam prevention resources, official reporting contacts, and five years of FBI elder fraud data for the state.
Already been scammed? Read our First 24 Hours Emergency Guide for critical steps to take immediately.
I. Overview: Mississippi’s Senior Population and Key Cities
As of 2024, Mississippi has a population of approximately 2.9 million, with about 495,000 residents aged 65 and older , accounting for about 16.8% of the total population. Many older adults live in small towns or rural areas, which can make them especially vulnerable to scammers who use phone, mail, or online tactics to commit fraud.
Mississippi seniors lost $33 million to fraud in 2025. Investment scams nearly quadrupled to $16 million (+283%), and government impersonation surged 1,061% from $144K to $1.7 million. Lottery/sweepstakes dropped 55%. Mississippi has the second-lowest per-capita victim rate in the nation, but dollar losses are still significant.
The top three cities with the largest senior populations and highest reported scam activity are:
- Jackson (approx. 145,000 people)
- Gulfport (approx. 72,000 people)
- Southaven (approx. 56,000 people)
II. 2025 Victim Report: How Scammers Targeted Mississippi’s Seniors
In 2025, Mississippi had 959 victims aged 60+ who reported losses totaling $33,087,218 — up 59% in victims and 15% in losses compared to 2024 (604 victims / $29M).
Loss by Crime Type
| Crime Type | 2025 Loss | 2024 Loss | Change |
| Investment | $16,436,648 | $4,295,035 | +283% |
| Tech Support | $1,981,853 | $1,822,203 | +9% |
| Romance | $2,656,691 | $1,941,479 | +37% |
| Lottery/Sweepstakes | $100,550 | $223,905 | -55% |
| Extortion | $34,540 | $42,350 | -18% |
| Government Impersonation | $1,666,063 | $143,540 | +1,061% |
Elder Fraud Loss Trajectory — Mississippi
5-Year Elder Fraud Trend — Mississippi (2021—2025)
| Year | Victims (60+) | Total Loss | YoY Change | Nat’l Rank |
| 2021 | 389 | $5,874,029 | — | #36 |
| 2022 | 356 | $5,459,509 | -7% | #47 |
| 2023 | 434 | $9,328,015 | +71% | #43 |
| 2024 | 604 | $28,870,444 | +210% | #34 |
| 2025 | 959 | $33,087,218 | +15% | #38 |
| 5-Year Total | 2,742 | $82,619,215 | +463% (2021—2025) | — |
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Annual Reports, 2021—2025. Covers victims aged 60 and older. National rank is by total dollar loss among 52 states/territories. National totals: $1.7B (2021), $3.1B (2022), $3.4B (2023), $4.9B (2024), $7.7B (2025) — $20.8 billion stolen from American seniors over five years.
Top Crime Types Targeting Mississippi Seniors (2025 vs. 5-Year)
| Crime Type | 2025 Victims | 2025 Loss | 5-Year Total | Growth (2021—25) |
| Investment | 78 | $16,436,648 | $25,155,135 | +23,381% |
| BEC | 28 | $5,640,218 | $24,083,501 | +5,940% |
| Romance | 86 | $2,656,691 | $8,426,990 | +12% |
| Tech Support | 109 | $1,981,853 | $7,757,532 | +280% |
| Gov. Impersonation | 76 | $1,666,063 | $2,869,690 | +271% |
| Personal Data Breach | 66 | $1,593,734 | $3,464,207 | +48% |
Top 6 crime types by 2025 losses. Growth calculated from 2021 to 2025. For national crime type trends, see our Crime Type Migration Analysis.
What the data reveals: Mississippi’s elder fraud losses reached $33 million in 2025, with 959 seniors victimized. The dominant trend: investment scams nearly quadrupled from $4.3 million to $16 million (+283%), now accounting for half of all losses. Government impersonation surged 1,061% from $144K to $1.7 million. Tech support was essentially flat (+9%) and romance grew a moderate 37%. Lottery/sweepstakes dropped 55%. Statewide, that comes to roughly one senior victim for every 3,069 Mississippi residents.
National context: Mississippi has the second-lowest per-capita victim rate in the nation at 32.59 per 100,000 (#50 out of 51). While this may partly reflect lower internet adoption and underreporting, it also means individual Mississippi seniors are less likely to be targeted than those in almost any other state. The 283% investment surge and 1,061% government impersonation spike follow national trends but from much smaller bases.
For the full national picture, including how Mississippi compares to every other state, visit our national hub page with interactive data and rankings.
III. Emergency and Official Contacts
Local Police Departments – Elder Fraud and Financial Crimes
1. Jackson Police Department – Investigations Division
- Phone: (601) 960-1234 (non-emergency)
- Website: jacksonms.gov
- Contact for reporting scams, identity theft, or suspicious financial activity.
2. Gulfport Police Department – Criminal Investigations
- Phone: (228) 868-5959 (non-emergency)
- Website: gulfport-ms.gov
- Assists with fraud, elder abuse, and scam reports.
3. Southaven Police Department – General Inquiries
- Phone: (662) 393-8652 (non-emergency)
- Website: southaven.org
- Offers support for scam and elder fraud reporting.
FBI and Federal Scam Reporting
FBI Jackson Field Office (serving all of Mississippi)
- Phone: (601) 948-5000
- Website: www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/jackson
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
- Website: www.ic3.gov
- Use to report phishing, online scams, tech fraud, and digital financial crimes.
Mississippi Attorney General – Elder Fraud and Consumer Protection
Office of the Mississippi Attorney General – Consumer Protection Division
- Consumer Protection Hotline: (800) 281-4418
- Website: www.ago.state.ms.us
- Offers scam alerts, complaint forms, and assistance for elder financial abuse.
Statewide Elder Services and Medicare Fraud Support
Mississippi Adult Protective Services (APS)
- To report elder abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation:
APS Hotline: (844) 437-6282 - Website: www.mdhs.ms.gov
- Coordinates investigations and intervention for at-risk older adults.
Mississippi Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)
- Phone: (877) 272-8720
- Website: www.stopmedicarefraud.org/mississippi
- Helps identify Medicare fraud, overbilling, and health-related scams.
Mississippi Department of Human Services – Aging and Adult Services
- Info Line: (844) 822-4622
- Website: www.mdhs.ms.gov
- Provides elder advocacy, caregiver support, legal assistance, and scam prevention education.
Know the Signs. Report Early.
- Mississippi seniors lose millions annually to scams, often from calls, texts, or deceptive ads.
- Stay alert. Save these contacts. Share with family and community members.
- Visit our Education Center to learn common red flags and safe response strategies.
- You have the right to slow down, verify, and protect yourself. Help is just one call away.
Recent Mississippi scam news
Recent news coverage of scams affecting Mississippi seniors, updated from our alerts desk. Each item links to the original outlet; victims and defendants are kept anonymous.
College student runs free seminars teaching Mississippi seniors to spot AI deepfake scams
A college computer-science student is running free seminars at senior centers across Madison County, Mississippi to teach older residents how to recognize AI-generated deepfakes and online scams, after hearing that a senior had lost $30,000 investing in a scheme built around a deepfake video of a famous tech entrepreneur. She has already reached about 100 residents across seven sessions, with more scheduled through mid-August. Attendees have asked detailed questions and taken notes, a reminder that awareness events like this make it easier to slow down and question a video or voice that seems too convincing before acting on it.
Read at Madison County Journal →South Mississippi woman tried to send $25,000 to scammers. Here's who saved her
A South Mississippi woman nearly sent $25,000 to scammers before someone stepped in to stop the loss.
Read at AOL →More Than Bingo: event aims to help seniors stay safe at home and online
A free Mississippi bingo event will bring scam-safety resources directly to older adults in a familiar setting.
Read at DeSoto Times →A physician explains why memory loss raises the risk of falling for a scam
A physician who also cared for her mother through Alzheimer's disease writes that memory loss and mild cognitive impairment are linked to a higher risk of falling for scams and financial exploitation. Part of the danger, she explains, is a condition called anosognosia, where a person with cognitive decline may not recognize that money is missing or that they were deceived. She recommends families start money conversations early, before decline sets in, treat scam awareness as a shared family responsibility rather than a private embarrassment, use phones that screen or block unknown callers, review accounts and credit reports together regularly, and consider a limited power of attorney while the person can still take part in that decision.
Read at Being Patient →Before the holidays, make a family plan to spot scams
With holiday calls and visits picking up, a fraud risk analyst is urging families to agree on a verification plan before a crisis call ever comes in, covering tactics like a caller claiming a grandchild has been arrested, a fake bank or government warning that an account is at risk, a tech support pop-up, or an online relationship that turns into a investment pitch. The core advice is to pause, verify, and talk: hang up, call the person or agency back using a number you already know, and loop in a trusted family member rather than acting alone. Suspicious contacts can be reported to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. Agreeing on this plan now, before the holiday season's spike in calls and visits, gives families a calm playbook instead of a panicked decision.
Read at Philadelphia Today →Fake 'psychic' letters promising a windfall defrauded thousands of older Americans of millions
Federal prosecutors describe a mail fraud scheme that sent personalized letters made to look like they came from a psychic, telling recipients they were due a financial windfall that required a payment to 'unlock.' Thousands of people across the country, many of them elderly or otherwise vulnerable, sent checks that were deposited into accounts opened under the fake psychic names and then moved overseas, collecting more than 4 million dollars over several years. No real windfall, inheritance, or prize ever requires you to pay money up front to receive it. If a letter like this arrives, the safe move is to slow down, do not mail a check or payment, and talk it over with a family member or call the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov before responding.
Read at JNS →IV. Learn More: Mississippi Scam Prevention Guides
Explore Mississippi-specific guides on the most common scams targeting seniors in your state:
- Tech Support Scams in Mississippi — Learn to recognize fake pop-ups, phone calls, and remote access schemes.
- Investment Scams in Mississippi — Protect your retirement savings from fraudulent advisors and crypto scams.
- Romance Scams in Mississippi — Spot the warning signs of fake online relationships designed to steal money.
- Government Impersonation Scams in Mississippi — Know what real government agencies will never ask you to do.
- How to Report Scams in Mississippi — Step-by-step guide to reporting fraud and starting recovery.
For national-level data on each scam type, see our Investment, Tech Support, Romance, and Government Impersonation national guides.
See how Mississippi compares. Curious where Mississippi ranks in the national picture? Stolen Trust, our 2026 special study, ranks every state and territory using five years of FBI data and lays out one practical plan to fix elder fraud.